Quilt Care
Straight Talk About Quilt Care Book
Chapter 2C
by Patricia Cummings
photos by James Cummings, et.al.
Old
Time Homemade Soap from Soapwort Plant, Saponaria officinalis
The Shakers discovered, early on, the many benefits of growing the plant, Soapwort. If the leaves, stems, and roots of the plant are gently boiled in rain water for thirty minutes and then strained, a lovely green liquid is yielded which is terrific for washing fine, old, or delicate washables. This type of solution is reportedly used by textile restorers and museums. The beautiful pink-blossomed plant grows to about three feet and was traditionally used in many medical applications to treat conditions from poison ivy to rheumatism to dry cough and other ailments.
Fels-Naptha Laundry Soap
David Lynch, an independent reviewer, posted an Internet review of Fels-Naptha, a heavy duty laundry bar soap. My mother was on the the many women who made this brick-shaped soap a standard purchase for use in stain removal from clothing.
From all reports, Fels-Naptha is very useful for “spot washing” collars and underarms of shirts. However, Lynch warns that the product should only be used with gloves on. The package itself declares that the soap is a skin irritant and an eye irritant. The soap's ingredients, as listed on the package, include, “Cleaners, soil and stain removers, chelating agents, colorants, and perfume.”
Bluing
Traditionally, bluing was a powder that was added to the wash to keep those white laundry items white. We looked for an example of Bluing in the grocery store and found, “Mrs. Stewart's® Concentrated Liquid Bluing.” This product is touted to be good for whitening white clothes safely. The 8 oz. bottle's contents are non-toxic and biodegradable. The directions say to dilute a few drops of bluing, or up to ¼ cup of the product, in a quart of cold water, before adding the solution to the wash, or to the final rinse water.
The company maintains a website that is content-rich and includes a very helpful and extensive Stain Removal Guide. Owned by Lutherford & Co., of Bloomington, MN, the company says this about their sole product: “Since 1883, the most effective, safe, versatile, economical laundry whitener available!”
Order this product through amazon.com via the link to your right, or to
check availability in your state, an online list of vendors is
provided. For more information, please visit:
http://www.mrsstewart.com
A former competitive product, “La France Bluing,” is apparently no longer being made. Information is sketchy but it seems that Dial Corporation had distributed the product but has no plans to continue to market it, as sales have been down. Reportedly, those who are fans of the product are scrambling to find a substitute. One woman states that she uses it to further when her dog's white hair.
Bluing shampoo, available at beauty shops, is geared toward the graying, over-fifty crowd. The claim made is that bluing will whiten gray hair and will counteract yellowing that is caused by environmental pollutants. I have to smile. My personal opinion is that some women who are victims of over-bluing, could become eligible to join the “Blue Hair Brigade!”
Sodium Perborate
Sodium perborate is one of three bleaching agents sold to consumers. The other two types of bleach contain hydrogen peroxide, or sodium percarbonate. Sodium perborate is the main ingredient of a number of textile cleaning products, including Biz, Vintage Textile Soak, and Clorox II. These products will not “bleach back” beyond the original dye color of the cloth. By the way, Biz is reported to be wonderful for removing organic stains from nurses' uniforms. To read more about oxygen cleaners, please see: http://oxygenbleach.homestead.com/files/
In one experience, I attempted to soak “the grime of the ages” from an antique (printed) piece of feedsack cloth. I placed a small amount of sodium perborate detergent powder in a basin of tap water. After soaking the sack for less time than recommended on the product's tag, I noticed that the color purple had migrated onto other areas leaving trace amounts of color. What happened?
Feedsack soaked in a product containing sodium perborate caused color migration. photo James Cummings
Perhaps
the antique dye was not colorfast, or maybe the chlorinated tap water
had caused the print designs to bleed, or perhaps the temperature of
the water had been too warm. To be fair, I will report that I had
good success in cleaning some antique, white-color antimacassars with
the same cleaning product. The lesson here is simple. Whenever we
wash an old textile, it is a gamble as to the results. We can never
predict exactly what will happen.
Mistakes
can be out greatest teachers. You will make errors in judgment, too.
Sometimes, we just cannot predict the outcome of our actions, no
matter what. Each experience contributes to our own general
understanding and knowledge of a subject. In the case of the
feedsack, I will never know for sure what went wrong.
Company
Launches “Carbona Dye Grabber”
The Carbona “Dye Magnet” was on the market for a relatively short time. Dubbed “environmentally safe,” the 100% cotton item looks like a white piece of of terry cloth, before use. The outer package states that the (rectangular) product can be tossed into the washer with your favorite detergent for white loads, colored loads, or mixed loads. The brochure in the package indicates that “Dye Magnet” has “millions of dye catchers,” that act to trap loose day and foreign particles in the wash water.
One
cloth was said to be effective for “50 wash loads.” After hearing
that “Dye Magnets” were no longer being produced, I called their
toll-free number, but got a busy signal. I wrote to the company and I
am happy to report that Carbona has just launched the new “Carbona
Dye Grabber.” This product is engineered to absorb loose dyes in
the washing machine. Company spokesperson, Denia Budhan indicated
that the product will be marketed through JoAnn Fabrics, Walmart, and
other stores. For additional information, please call:
(973)
8080-6260, or visit the company's website.
Read Labels
Products for washing textiles will usually tell you how to use the product. For example, the powder cleaner, “stain fighting” Oxi-Clean tells consumers not to use it to wash wool, wool blends, silk, leather, or metals. They also warn the end-user not to mix the product with chlorine or ammonia products, always two chemicals that should never be mixed. The point is well taken. Playing chemist by mixing together cleaning chemicals commonly found in your home can produce fatal inhalants. Think twice. Take care in mixing chlorine-containing chemicals with any other chemicals. Dangerous, lethal gases can be the result of such experimentation. Follow the instructions on any product label.
Pay
attention to all of the warnings given on any product's label. For
your own safely and for best results, use cleaners, only as intended.
Not having tried any of the “Oxi-cleaner” family of laundry
products, I cannot recommend them. My advice is to choose the most
gentle and safe detergents first, and if a more stringent treatment
is needed, test the product on the textiles you want to clean, and
proceed carefully and at your own risk.
Buttermilk and Lemon Juice for Cleaning Quilts? - Don't Believe It!
Recently, an old time recipe for washing quilts was sent to me by a friend.
"To brighten colors and remove age spots and yellow discoloration from quilts, combine one gallon of water, one quart of buttermilk, and one tablespoon of lemon juice. Soak the quilt in this mixture, then hand wash with a mild soap for a bright quilt. The natural ingredients are safe with no danger of damaging the quilt.”
Few, if any, textile conservators would agree with adding food products of any kind to a quilt. Buttermilk contains (greasy) butterfat that may not wash out completely and will attract chewing insects to the surface of the quilt. Likewise, lemon juice which is an acidic product does not seem like an appropriate liquid in which to “soak”a quilt.
While lemon can be combined with salt to clean stains fromlinens, it is not a good substance to purposely add to a three layer quilt. The main danger lies in not being able to completely remove the extra “ingredients” that are being added, and in having them remain in the batting, possibly as insect attractants.
Artificial Heat to Dry Old Quilts? No!
Putting an old quilt in a clothes dryer is a no-no. The fibers in the quilt are already dried out from age. Artificial heat could be catastrophic. Remember that cotton is a natural fiber that has been harvested from a living plant. Over time, it naturally becomes more desiccated (dried out.) Artificial heat hastens the aging process and makes the fibers weak and prone to splitting.
If you do not have access to the outdoors, for drying a quilt naturally, place the quilt indoors on a flat surface, with several fans blowing in the room, near but not directly onto, the surface of the quilt. Turn the quilt over as many times as needed to ensure that top, back, and batting are completely dry.
Sweet Fragrances Attract Insects
Please do not use fabric softener sheets when drying quilting fabrics in the dryer. If the fabric is good quality, it will have a nice “hand” and will be soft enough, already. While you may enjoy the fragrance from dryer sheets, aromas can stimulate insect pheromones, those chemical substances that trigger meeting, greeting, and mating among insects!
If you have every worn perfume outside on a summer's day, you will remember how insects began to surround you. Cologne worn by baseball players, and perhaps even the coconut oil that was applied by one baseball player, to his hair, stopped some baseball games in Arizona in 2005. Bees swarmed around the players, driving them from the field.
Insects are usually aware of the presence of people by the carbon dioxide that they exhale. Fragrances definitely attract and excite biting insects. To reduce chances of bites and stings, hikers and gardeners are urged not to wear perfumed substances outdoors.
That “Antique” Look
Some individuals who want to achieve a wrinkled, antique-look on the surface of their new quilt, will make the quilt and then wash it. Remember that washing a quilt in the washing machine can stretch and tear its seams, and will loosen stitches. When wet, the quilt is at its most vulnerable point. Avoid using a home washer to wash a quilt. If you must use a machine, take the quilt to the laundromat and use their triple loader machine. In advance, have a plan as to how and where you will dry the quilt, that is, some way other than the clothes dryer.
On Metal Hoops and Rust Stains: Take Care in Needlework Practices
My mother had embroidered a Crewel pillow top that contained a wreath of strawberries, worked over a white and blue-striped, pillow ticking fabric. She made the mistake of leaving the metal hoop on the fabric and then abandoned the piece in a sewing box for years. Subsequently, humid condition in New England created stains on the background fabric from contact with a rusty hoop.
Someone
suggested that a paste of lemon juice and salt be rubbed into the
rust
stain and then the needlework should be set in the sun for
awhile. This method did lessen the discoloration quite a bit. While
trying to remove the stain, there was always the danger of the colors
of the wool yarn running when wet. The total pillow design is
charming, and I did not want to throw away mother's work. Finding no
other remedy, I decided to “live” with the remaining stain, and
so I finished the piece into a throw pillow.
Since that time, I have learned of a special product called, “Whink.” Reportedly, this cleaning agent will instantly remove rust stains from colorfast cloth. The word “colorfast” is the word to keep in mind. Always test products on a hidden area of a piece or on a similar piece of fabric before using them. A six ounce bottle of the product is reasonably priced and can be ordered online at: http://exclusiveproductscompany.com
A nationally know teacher announced in a class on designing miniature quilts that she was seeking old pillow ticking cloth with rust on it. She wanted narrow-striped, heavy cloth of this kind to make “mattresses” for miniature beds. She felt that the rust would add an air of authenticity and age. There is more truth than poetry to the expression that, “One man's trash is another man's treasure.” Keep this thought in mind before drastically altering any textile...like removing rust from old pillow ticking.
Masking Tape Residue
A residue that is almost impossible to remove from needlework is the sticky debris left by masking tape, particularly if the tape has been left on the textile for a period of time. Makers of needlework kits used to recommend that edges of linen fabrics (that would ravel) be protected with masking tape. Using tape is not a good idea. There are better choices. The edges of background fabric for embroidery can be zigzagged by machine, overcast by hand, serged, or folded over twice and secured with a running stitch.
Remember: when you use 1/4” masking tape for determining the distance from a seam for hand quilting, always remove the tape immediately!
"Ladies: We Never Sleep With Our Girdles On!”
As mentioned before, hoops can leave stains on needlework, and can distort fibers if left on too long. Whether you are using a quilt hoop or an embroidery hoop, remove it immediately when you are finished working for the moment.
The bottom section of embroidery hoops can be wrapped with bias tape (which is sewn on, at the end point of wrapping.) If my mother had used this kinds of covering on her metal hoop, the problem of rust on the fabric might have been prevented.
Marion Scoular, an avid embroiderer who teaches needlework classes, makes a point of telling her students to remove their hoops from any needlework piece, just as soon as they are finished working for the moment, and most certainly at the end of the day. Memorably, she sums up her sage advice this way:
Remove your hoops, ladies. After all, we never sleep with our girdles on!
This teacher is well known in embroidery guild circles for her delightful classes in Hardanger and Blackwork. She has written two leaflets for Leisure Arts: “Blackwork,” and “”Hardanger Embroidery: An Introduction.” In addition, she wrote a very informative booklet titled, “Why Call it Blackwork?” For more information, contact her in Georgia at: marionscoular@comcast.net
Home Treatment of Clothing Stains
We should mention a little about the care of clothing. One product that works really well is a stain treatment called, “Magic Wand,” manufactured by the Prym-dritz Corporation, Spartanburg, SC. This comes in a broad rub-on stick that can easily be used to remove stains such as “ballpoint ink, grease, chocolate, blood, wine, grease stains,” and more, and is “safe for cottons, synthetics, and all washables,” according to the label. One mail order supplier is Hancock's of Paducah: (800) 845-8723. Request the Dritz Magic Wand, item #D20125. In addition, Hancock's of Paducah carries a wide array of fabrics for quilting, plus sewing notions: http://www.Hancocks-Paducah.com
Carbona Stain Wizard Wipes are a wonderful product for anyone who is prone to dropping food onto clothing while they eat. These individually wrapped, portable wipes come in handy while traveling. They will even remove blueberry sauce stains! To learn more about the product, see: http://www.carbona.com
A Tip from an Off-Broadway Costume Designer: Instant Blood Removal
The late Micki Zeller, whom I met at the Northern New Hampshire Embroiderers' Guild chapter, had worked as a professional costume designer for Off-Broadway shows. One day, she shared a tip with me. She explained that in her work, she was always in a hurry One day, she accidentally stabbed her finger with a sewing needle and before she could take account of the situation, blood had been transferred to the garment on which she was working.
Wondering what to do next, she was told by an associate to put some of her own saliva on the tip of her finger and rub it on the blood, and that it would magically disappear. This emergency procedure worked like a charm! While the process may sound disgusting, the bottom line is that it works! There are two rules of thumb for this method. The blood stain must be fresh, and the blood must be your own, as only the enzymes contained in your own saliva will dissolve the blood.
This trick of the trade has come in handy more than once when I was hand-piecing, embroidering, or quilting. If you use my friend's method, it is a good idea to spot wash the needlework item or quilt block with warm water and Ivory liquid soap detergent, as soon as possible, and rinse well, of course.
Dry Cleaning Not Recommended for Antique Crazy Quilts
Crazy Quilts were never intended to be a source of warmth for people. There is a very good chance that certain dyes from fancy dressmaking fabrics would have run onto adjacent patches, had the quilts been “wet washed.” Neither is dry-cleaning a good option for these Victorian-age quilts. Due to the nature of the dry-cleaning process, damage would occur to the silks that are already prone to shattering due to the fact that they were weighted with metallic salts that included tin, lead or arsenic.
The Victorian Log Cabin “Show Quilt,” at the left, measures 60” square and has cone-shaped edges. Completely made of silks and cotton velveteen, the quilt was entirely stitched by hand. This is a good example of a quilt that is literally falling apart before our eyes due to the problems caused by weighted silks. We thank Emily Phelps for sharing this family quilt with us and for allowing us to photograph it for this publication.
The words “dry cleaning” are misleading. In actuality, wet chemical solvents are used in place of water during the cleaning process that is anything but “dry.” No cotton quilt should ever be dry-cleaned. The solvents are never completely removed from a quiltand they may pose a health risk to humans.
Perchlorethylene, thechemical of choice used by most dry cleaners, is derived from perchloric acid that has oxidizing properties. This chemical is classified as a hazardous air pollutant. Dry cleaning can add wear and tear to textiles that far exceeds the usual result of wet washing, according to the website:
The edges of the Victorian Era, Log Cabin “Show Quilt” are so deteriorated, dry cleaning would never be a possibility for this quilt. Even folding the quilt and refolding it each time causes more damage and more breaks. In a case like this, a restorer could replace patches, although she would be remaking most of this quilt.
Dry cleaning a quilt is rarely recommended, and even expert dry cleaners are reluctant to take on the task of cleaning a quilt. Before a dry cleaner will agree to work on a quilt, a written permission slip which releases the business from liability, is customarily required. If dry cleaning seems to be the only answer to cleaning a quilt, then ask your local museum for a referral to a reputable business that has experience working on fine textiles, such as wedding gowns. Also, make arrangements to have the quilt processed first thing in the morning, and request that the cleaning solvent be freshly changed.
According to one expert, weighted silk was sold up until the 1950s, and today, this type of silk that is imported from China is showing up on the fabrics market yet again.
Silk Thread Needlework, Its Cleaning and Framing
For answers about silk threads, I turned to experienced needleworker, Eleanor (Lea) Stark of Concord, New Hampshire. Lea reports that she never washes the pictorial, silk-on-silk needlework that she designs. Upon completion, she takes the piece to a reputable dry cleaner. The dry cleaning solvents remove the residue from wax she has used to tame silk threads while working the design. After the embroidery has been dry-cleaned, she stretches it over acid-free foam core board, lacing the back of the work, and then placing the piece within a wooden frame. By not using glass, the framed piece is light, and therefore, easier to hang, she states.
A soft men's shaving brush is all that she uses to dust her embroidered works. The bristles of the brush are ultra-soft. Some of her framed pieces have hung on the wall for more than twenty years now, and have been maintained in fine condition with her preferred choice of cleaning.
Lea's exquisite silk masterpieces feature Oriental scenes on which she has embroidered hundreds of tiny human figures. While chatting with her, she told me about the first needlework piece of this kind that she made. She mailed it off for an exhibit. When it arrived home by return, she was shocked to discover that the glass that had been used in framing the work had shattered into hundred of tiny pieces. She reports that trying to pick up all the tiny glass shards with tweezer was not fun! This has confirmed her decision to avoid glass for all future framing.
Over the years, Lea Stark of Concord, New Hampshire has designed and embroidered many pictorial scenes that feature tiny Chinese human figures and celebrate Oriental life. She frames all of her own work, without glass, and keeps the silk-on-silk work clean by brushing the finished pieces lightly with a man's shaving brush. Above is a close-up of one of her beautifully stitched scenes. Photo courtesy of Lea Stark.
Silk Textiles: Take Care!
Experts say that dry cleaning is the safest way to clean (100%) new silk. Silk is susceptible to damage, if it is “wet washed” because washing (with water) removes sericin, a gelatinous protein that cements together silk's fibroin filaments. Fibroin is an albuminoidal substance, a complex protein found in both silk and cobwebs. Dry cleaning is simply not an option for Victorian Era Crazy Quilts.
According to vintage fabrics connoisseur, Joan Kiplinger, most nineteenth century clothing contains blends of silk and cotton, or wool and cotton, which makes them washable. Joan explains that washable silk is always a blend of silk and cotton, with a cotton warp (vertically aligned threads on the loom), and a silk weft (the threads that are worked horizontally on the loom.) Follow garment labels and do not wash silk unless the tag specifically states that it is safe to do so.
Silk Study Hints at Asthma Connection for Children
A medical article in Pediatrics - Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, (V. 107, No. 5, May 2001, p. e80), mentions that the silk production industry began in China in 2640 B.C. Empress Hsi-ling Shih was the first to uncover the secrets of unwinding silk filaments from the cocoons of silkworms. The article describes the abstract, the methodology, and the conclusions of a study that was conducted among 871 children in Anqing, China, a rural province, to document a link between exposure to silk, “an aeroallergen,” and the onset of asthma in children.
"Silk waste,” consists of silk threads that become broken during reeling. In China, these waste materials are recycled to fill quilts, toys, and mattresses. The medical study yielded no conclusive results. However, the researchers postulate that the avoidance of silk waste could improve the symptoms of silk-induced asthma in a society in which the use of silk is so prevalent. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/107/5/e80
Copyright 2005/2007. Patricia and James Cummings, Quilter's Muse Publications, Concord, NH. Please do not duplicate either photos or text to place on other websites or for your own commercial gain. Questions? Comments? Please write to: pat@quiltersmuse.com